Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of Humane Society International/Canada said the operation had been inspected many times, and the conditions the dogs were being kept in were among the worst she has seen.
"What we saw was truly horrifying," Aldworth said in an interview Saturday.
She said that the cages were substandard and "absolutely unsanitary" and many of the dogs and puppies are now being treated for health problems related to the conditions in which they were kept.
"It was like many of the puppy mills I have seen in Quebec, where the theme is generally to put profits above animal welfare.
"The breeding females are treated as machines, kept in filthy cages and their most basic needs are not met," she said, adding that the dogs were given no exercise or human contact.
The dogs are all small breeds, such as chihuahuas, shih tzus and Yorkshire terriers, and are mostly adult females. There are also some puppies, and several of the adult females are pregnant.
(Montreal Gazette - June 20, 2012)
